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Creepy Joe Biden claims that he 'started the climate change movement' - gets mocked on Twitter


RT
Mon, 20 May 2019 09:55 UTC
Biden
© Quartz/KJN
Former VP Joe Biden
Joe Biden has been roundly mocked on Twitter after making the unlikely claim to a young activist appealing for a presidential debate on climate change that he kicked-off the whole global warming movement back in the late 1980s.

A young activist from US Youth Climate Strike asked Biden if he would support a presidential climate policy forum organized by the group. Biden interrupted the girl before she was finished, asking, "By the way, did you know I'm the guy who did all this? Read 'Real Clear Politics' - it will tell you about how I started this whole thing back in 1987 - climate change."
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Chess

Huawei CEO: Company long been ready for US ban & 'won't bow to pressure'


RT
Mon, 20 May 2019 09:55 UTC
USA threats huawei
US restrictions won't hurt Chinese telecom giant Huawei much, as it has long been prepared for it, CEO Ren Zhengfei stated, adding that the firm has no intention of changing its activities on the US' request.

"We have already been preparing for this," the founder of Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies said, as cited by Nikkei in his first speech since Washington severely hampered access for the firm to the US market over alleged security risks. Ren Zhengfei's daughter, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, was arrested by Canadian authorities at the end of last year, resulting in a diplomatic row between China, Canada, and the US amid the already flaring trade tensions.

He added that the tech firm will advance by developing its own chips to lessen the impact of the ban on its production and can stay afloat even if Qualcomm and other American producers refuse to sell chips to Huawei amid escalating tensions.
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Star of David

Foreign Meddling: US & Israel demand Ireland ditch Occupied Territories Bill, threaten the 'immigration status of the Irish'

Stephen McDermott
The Journal
Mon, 20 May 2019 09:55 UTC
Oireachtas
American lobby groups and representatives from two US states were among those who urged the government to vote down the Occupied Territories Bill, records show.

Documents released to TheJournal.ie under the Freedom of Information Act reveal how international groups sought to influence the passage of the Bill through both Houses of the Oireachtas.

In one instance, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives warned that the Bill's enaction into law could affect the immigration status of Irish people living in the US.
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Chess

US may 'scale back' Huawei trade restrictions to help existing customers


CNBC
Sat, 18 May 2019 09:55 UTC
File Photo: UK and Chinese flags (L) and Huawei logo (R)
© Reuters / Andy Wong (L) ; Global Look Press / Rodrigo Reyes Marin (R)
File Photo: UK and Chinese flags (L) and Huawei logo (R)
The U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday it may soon scale back restrictions on Huawei Technologies after this week's blacklisting would have made it nearly impossible for the Chinese company to service its existing customers.

The Commerce Department, which had effectively halted Huawei's ability to buy American-made parts and components, is considering issuing a temporary general license to "prevent the interruption of existing network operations and equipment," a spokeswoman said.

Potential beneficiaries of the license could, for example, include internet access and mobile phone service providers in thinly populated places such as Wyoming and eastern Oregon that purchased network equipment from Huawei in recent years.

Comment: Also see:

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Bullseye

Trump's 'getting along' with Russia should probably exclude further sanctions - Kremlin


RT
Sun, 19 May 2019 14:00 UTC
russia dancing
© AFP / Mladen Antonov
If Washington wants to "get along with Moscow," the White House will have to refrain from using the sanctions stick, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says after the US extended anti-Russia restrictions.

In an interview to Russian state TV, the official weighed in on Trump's tweet that he posted on his favorite social media on May 3. The message followed a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and featured Trump's notorious "getting along" with Russia is a "good thing."

Peskov, however, found the chosen definition a bit nebulous.

Comment: US sanctions Chechnya's elite police unit, Russia intends reciprocal response

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Eye 1

'Europe is love, Europe is life': EU Commission takes heat for 'Orwellian' tweet ahead of elections


RT
Sun, 19 May 2019 14:35 UTC
1984
© Reuters / Shannon Stapleton
As Europeans prepare to vote in the EU Parliament elections, the European Commission has raised some eyebrows with a tweet extolling the virtues of the union, in true George Orwell style.

"The EU is peace. The EU is freedom. The EU is solidarity. The EU is diversity. The EU is human rights. The EU is opportunities," read the Commission's tweet, posted on Saturday. The message ended with a simple instruction: "Vote."

With European Parliament elections scheduled for next weekend, there are a multitude of political parties across the continent who question the commission's 11 EU commandments.
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Quenelle

Focus on 'emergency in Venezuela': Italy hits back at UN for criticism of migrant proposals


RT
Sun, 19 May 2019 21:16 UTC
Italy
© AFP / Giovanni Isolini
FILE PHOTO: The Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) vessel arrives in the port of Messina, Italy, on May 16, 2015
Italy's Interior Ministry has hit out at the UN's criticism of its anti-migrant proposals, suggesting the body focuses on solving the emergency in Venezuela instead of "electoral campaigning in Italy."

Ministry officials made the barbed remark on Sunday, after a letter by the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights urged a reversal of the measures that block entry to Italian ports for any NGO vessels attempting to dock with migrants. It will also allow the ministry to prevent any ships deemed to be a security concern from entering Italy's territorial waters, and give powers to issue fines of up to $6,145 for each migrant transported.

"The hope is that the authoritative UN dedicates its energies to the humanitarian emergency in Venezuela rather than engage in electoral campaigning in Italy," the officials said. They added that the proposed measures were "necessary and urgent" to Italy's security and would be likely approved during a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

Comment: See also:

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Bullseye

Corbyn says nothing 'fundamentally different' in May's new 'bold' Brexit deal


RT
Sun, 19 May 2019 12:17 UTC
Anti-Brexit
© Reuters / Hannah McKay
FILE PHOTO: Anti-Brexit placards left outside the Houses of Parliament
Jeremy Corbyn has expressed skepticism at Theresa May successfully passing her Brexit deal through Parliament at the fourth attempt, saying nothing "fundamentally different" has been made from previous versions brought to MPs.

The opposition and Labour Party leader made the comments on Sunday after Prime Minister May unveiled her intention to include a "bold offer" to MPs, which she believes will break the ongoing Brexit stalemate among lawmakers. Three previous attempts to pass her EU Withdrawal Bill and implement Brexit have so far failed.

"We haven't seen whatever the new bill is going to be yet," Corbyn told the BBC's Andrew Marr program of May's amended deal. "But nothing I've heard leads me to believe it is fundamentally any different from the previous bill that has been put forward so as of now we are not supporting it," he added.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

The Dancing Israelis: Newly Released FBI Docs Shed Light on Apparent Mossad Foreknowledge of 9/11 Attacks

Whitney Webb
Mint Press News
Sun, 19 May 2019 18:45 UTC
Dancing Israelis arrested on 9/11

Four of the Israeli nationals arrested for "puzzling behavior" during the September 11 attacks are seen casually posing together in front of the Manhattan skyline while the September 11 attacks were in progress


New information released by the FBI has brought fresh scrutiny to the possibility that the "Dancing Israelis," at least two of whom were known Mossad operatives, had prior knowledge of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

For nearly two decades, one of the most overlooked and little known arrests made in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks was that of the so-called "High Fivers," or the "Dancing Israelis." However, new information released by the FBI on May 7th has brought fresh scrutiny to the possibility that the "Dancing Israelis," at least two of whom were known Mossad operatives, had prior knowledge of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Shortly after 8:46 a.m. on the day of the attacks, just minutes after the first plane struck the World Trade Center, five men - later revealed to be Israeli nationals - had positioned themselves in the parking lot of the Doric Apartment Complex in Union City, New Jersey, where they were seen taking pictures and filming the attacks while also celebrating the destruction of the towers and "high fiving" each other. At least one eyewitness interviewed by the FBI had seen the Israelis' van in the parking lot as early as 8:00 a.m. that day, more than 40 minutes prior to the attack. The story received coverage in U.S. mainstream media at the time but has since been largely forgotten.
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Arrow Down

Trump to delay auto tariffs up to six months

Kayla Tausche, Jacob Pramuk
CNBC
Wed, 15 May 2019 10:18 UTC
Shipping cars dock
© Yahoo News
The Trump administration plans to delay auto tariffs by up to six months, stopping itself for now from widening global trade disputes, four sources told CNBC.

The White House faces a Saturday deadline to decide whether to slap duties on car and auto part imports over national security concerns. After Saturday, the administration would have another 180 days to come to a decision as long as it is negotiating with its counterparts.

President Donald Trump sees the tariffs as a way to gain leverage over trading partners such as the European Union and Japan during ongoing talks. But the president risks sparking fresh global trade clashes if he goes through with car duties. The European Union, for example, has already prepared a list of retaliatory duties to implement if Trump targets autos.

Stocks gained back their their losses Wednesday following news of the administration's plans, which were confirmed by a source briefed on the talks, an administration official and two foreign officials. Shares of automakers such as Ford and General Motors jumped.



Comment: Additional response from Sarah Huckabee Sanders:
Trump ordered US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to seek agreements to "address the threatened impairment" of national security from auto imports, stressing that the White House may opt to move forward with tariffs during the potential negotiations with Tokyo and Brussels. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement:

"United States defense and military superiority depend on the competitiveness of our automobile industry and the research and development that industry generates. The negotiation process will be led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and, if agreements are not reached within 180 days, the president will determine whether and what further action needs to be taken."


Meanwhile, some changes for steel, aluminum and the litigation in WTO:
The US and Canada have agreed to remove steel and aluminum tariffs and vowed to align against those, who sell "unfairly subsidized" metals at "dumped prices" as part of a new agreement between neighbors.

The US will lift the 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum President Donald Trump imposed against Canada back in late May 2018 while Canada will, in turn, remove all retaliatory tariffs it levied against the American goods, the statement said, adding that all the tariffs will be gone in two days. ... They also agreed to create a special monitoring mechanism to promptly detect import "surges."


A similar deal was struck with Mexico, President Donald Trump said in a speech on Friday.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the tariffs the biggest obstacle to the ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is expected to supersede the previous deal between the three nations known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). USMCA was signed back in November 2018 but has not yet been ratified.


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